Circuit controlling device



July 24, 1934. J -B 1,967,353

CIRCUIT CONTROLLING DEVICE Filed Feb. 6, 1953 JOSEPH F 193214 7 INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,967,353 CIRCUIT CONTROLLING DEVICE Joseph F. Ebert, Hollis, N. Y., assignor to Signal Engineering & Manufacturing Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Massachusetts Application February 6, 1933, Serial No. 655,369

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to circuit controlling devices or relays, and has for its object to provide a relay in which the armature is adjustable for the purpose of controlling the current value at which the relay will operate.

The present invention contemplates the pro- .vision of a device, in the form of an attachment to a. relay, which comprises a support hav ing a gap determining member engaging the armature at a point removed from its pivot, said gap determining member being closely adjustable so as to permit very accurate setting of .the current value at which the armature will .pull up. In addition, the device provides an adjustable tension member connected to the armature and which establishes a predetermined pull on the armature away from the core of the relay, thereby providing for a further adjustment of the current value at which the armature will 7 be actuated. Lastly, the device incorporates a [latch which is adapted to engage automatically beneath the armature for locking the latter in the position which it occupies when the coil is energized, with provision of means by which the latch may be released.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the lower portion of a relay showing the invention in connection therewith.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation as viewed from the left in Fig. 1, showing the upper portion of the relay.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device of Fig. 1, as viewed from the'right.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the difierent figures.

Referring to Fig. 2, the relay comprises a base 1, with an energizing coil 2 mounted on the front leg of a U-shaped core 3. An armature 4 is pivotally mounted at 5 on the lower end of the rear core leg and the end of said armature,

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an attachment is secured to the lower end of the base 1 and carries the structure for adjustably supporting the armature. Referring to Fig. 2, the attachment com-' prises a bracket 11 having a horizontal portion 12 secured to the lower end of the base 1 by screws 13, the bracket extending downwardly and forwardly to provide a portion 14 on which the armature adjusting means is mounted. The outer end of the bracket is bent upwardly and provides at the upperend a horizontal portion 15 parallel to the horizontal portion 14. Said portions provide alined vertical bores through which a rod 16 extends, the upper end of said rod being positioned to engage beneath the armature adjacent the free end thereof. The lower end of said rod carries a bearing portion 17, Fig. 1, engaging the periphery of a cam 18 eccentrically mountedon the inner end of an adjusting screw 20 carriedin a depending portion 21 of the bracket, turning movement of the screw accordingly varying the position of the rod 16 to determine the air gap between the armature and the core of the coil. The head 22 of said adjusting screw is provided with knurling or grooves 23 parallel to the axis of'said screw, and a spring finger 24 secured to the depending portion 21 of the bracket engages the grooves in said head to .hold said screw' against turning movement when said screw is in adjusted position. A spring 25 secured to the portion 14 engages the bearing portion 17 of rod 16 to hold said rod in engagement with the cam 18. Thus, as the screw 20 is turned in the portion 21 of the bracket, the rod 16 is raised or lowered to vary the position at which said rod engages the armature, thereby supporting the armature in predetermined spaced relation to th'eend of the core of the coil.

A bracket 26 is secured by screws 27 to the base 1 in parallel relation to the bracket 11 and provides a horizontal portion 28 substantially in the plane of the portion 14 of the bracket 11. A depending portion 30 extends from the portion 28 and supports a thumb screw 31, the head 32 of which is knurled to provide grooves 33 with which a spring finger 34 carried by the portion 30 engages for supporting said screw against turning movement. The thumbscrew 31 has a cylindrical portion on the inner end thereof around which one end of a cord 35 is wrapped with the other end of said cord extending upwardly through an opening 35' in the portion 28 and connected to the lower end of a spring 36. A lug 37 is secured to the under side of the armature and the upper end of the spring engages an opening therein so that the spring 36 is normally under tension and maintains the armature in the position of Fig. 2 with said armature in engagement with the upper end of the rodlfi; A predetermined-tensio11 is thus exerted.- on the armature so that the latter is actuated by the coil only when said coil is energized by a current of a predetermined value which value may be varied by turning movement of the thumb screw to provide for greater or less tension on the spring. 7

Although the brackets 11 and 26.are shown to be separate members, they may be formed as a single member for mounting on thebase of the relay as a unit. The adjustments of the current value at which the armature will be actuated, may be varied, as will be apparent, by adjustment of either thumb screw, independently of the other although said devices,

'when mounted together on the same armature, 'will provide for 1 greater variations in, current value than would be possible by adjustment or" either of said devices, independently.

A bracket 38 is mounted on the lower end of the base 1-by the same screws 13 and 27 by which the brackets 11 and 26 are secured to said base, and provides parallel depending arms and 41, the lower ends of which are integrally connected together by ahorizontal portion 43.

, Horizontalparallel arms 43 and 44 extend out- 'wardly from the arms '40 and il respectively between the brackets 11 and 26, and the outer ends ofsaid'horizontal arms provide a support for a'pin 45 on which a-latch member 46 is pivotally mounted. Said latch'has an upwardly extending portion 4=7, .t-he upper end of which 'is provided with a notch 48 for engagement with the armature when the latter is in the upper position, as shown in Fig. 3. Said latch also provides a horizontal arm 50, the weight of which maintains the upwardly extending por- -.tion 47- of the latch in contact with the end of said armature as shown in Fig. 2, urging said latch toward .said armature to bring the notch in engagement with saidarmature when the latter is moved toits raised position.

The latch 46 is. removed frombeneath the armature to release the armature by a'fiexible wire member 51 slidable in abushing 52 in the :horizontal' portion 42,'said wire member having be readily obtained. Furthermore, the [relay provides for locking of the armature in the position to which it is moved when the relay is energized, said armature being releasable manually from its locked position.

I claim,

1. The combination with a relay having a coil surrounding a core and a movable armature mounted on a fixed pivot, of a member engaging the free end of said armature to determine the air gap between said core and armature when the coil is deenergized, a cam supporting said member, and means to adjust the position of said cam to *vary the air gap between said core and armature.

. 2-. An attachment to a relay having a base,

a coil surrounding a core and a movable armature mounted on a fixed pivot, said attachment comprising a member engageable with the free end oi said armature to determine the air gap between said armature and core, a cam supporting said member, means to adjust the position of said cam to vary the airgap, and sup porting means for said parts arranged for attachmentto said base.

3. The combination with a relay having :a-

coil surrounding va core and a movable armature mounted on a fixed pivot, of a memberengaging the free end of said armature to determine the air gap between said core and armature,a cam for supporting said member, means to adjust the position of said cam to varythe air gap between saidcore and armature, resilient means for maintaining said armature away from said core in engagement with said adjusting member,

and. manually adjustable meansto vary-the tension of said resilient means to vary the current value at which said armature is attracted by said coil. m

4. In an electrical circuit controlling device,

the combination with a coil surrounding a core" and a movable armature mountedon a fixed pivot, of ajslidably mounted rod having one end supporting the free end of said armature just below said core and its other end supported on the surface of a cam, andmeans for turningsaid cam to move said rod and change the air gap between said core and armature, with said coil in aqdeenergized condition. r

5. In an electrical circuit controlling device,

the combination with a' coil surrounding a core and a movable armature mounted on a fixed pivot, of a slidably mounted rod having one end supporting, the free end of said armature just below said core and its otherend supportedon the surface of a cam, a springhaving one end fixed and its other end connected to said armature to cause it to bear on said rod, means for angularly adjusting said cam to change the air gap between said core and armature with said coil in a. deenergized condition, and meansfor adjusting the tension of said spring to determine the current-value at which said armature is attracted by said coil. 3 a

; 1 JOSEPH F. EBERT. 

